Pneumatic cushion



Dec. 4, 1951 R. w. sAMPsoN 2,577,274

PNEUMATIC CUSHION Filed Sept. 25, 1947 2 SHEETS--SHEET l Deci 4, 1951 R. w. sAMPsoN PNEUMATIC CUSHION.

Filed Sept. 25, 1947 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 Patented Dec. 4, 1951 nahen Samsom Wilmington@ to" Sempsnlibber Broduets.

. assigner rporatlon of Delaware ajeor'poration v9.1';.-.D elatterra/ Application September 25, 1947,;:Serial-Nor7z7642 t Claims. (c1. 15e- 1,1m

. .wl "This invention relates to pneumatic. cushions such as are employed.in,..conneeton with. the manufacture. oiseats, mattresses and. thev like, and more perticularlythe invention. is Concerned with improvements inV cushions of. the kind characterized, byv projecting, hollow, spacedapart ribs which provide elongated, weight-:carrying air chambers. ,such a cushion beinghdisclosed and claimed-in'my'PatentrNo. 1.928.675 of October 3.,""13933-v and in "Patent No! 2,367,628.0f January` g 16,1945 to M. C. Teague.

Cushions of the character referred to, as heretofore proposed; have the objection that the ribs whichprovide the weight-carrying air chambers, being 0f Substantially the same depth,'and of necesstyrelatively closelyspaced, bulge laterally in response to` Weight to which' they are Asubjectedginsuoh a mannerthat-when such vweight is substantial the sidewalls ofthe -ribs engage one lanother and inso doing impair andV render substantially ineffective the'desired action v`which can only be attained vvhen'Y the various ribs are permitted to function independently and Without interference from one another.

fThe-principal object of the present; invention,v therefore,is to overcomel the :above objection, thisfobject contemplatingthe formationv and-arrangementv of :the ribs v which providefthe air` chambers in such armanner' that lateral-dis.-

to'rtion, :or bulging, ofthe ribswhen subjected:

to .Weight `is freely V:permitted` without the Vribs engaging one another and 4`thisfobject beingpat tained AWithoutv .the necessity :of increasing the spacing between the ribsH in :Such afmannerlpas to' result inzimproper support of v the top surface of the cushion.

\;A .further object istofprovide apcushion. which will yield locally to f thef'weight to Which it giS subjected but with respect to all 'other areaswill maintain its normal. shape; presenting'-gc1ear-cutr outlined edges and surfaces.

' vAv stillfurther -objectrisgto provide a. cushion Whch-isfso- .ventilated that.` readyV flow -of air through :and around the cushion is; permitted.

The/ invention is illustrated 1in the accompanyvv ingvdrawngs'wherein: l

Figure 1i-is aztopfplan viewof-ia: pneumatic tion; l

Figure 2 is a section taleenzalongline-.2'-,2 of Figure i1; y i

Figure is a-transverse `section itaken along linee-'f3 ofthesame figure;

v*Figure 4 :is a ;fragmentarxsection-.taken along. linelbeoffisiirefl fthat, stretching of. one- Side .of :the eush-io direetionfis opposed bythe-greater resistance to Figure 5 is a top plan view of a modiedorm of. pneumetiefeushion;

: -1E5igure jgis a section. atakenelong line; izref Figure ,5;

f-.ligure-f?y is a transverse. section. taisenfalone line 1+? ofFigure .5, and

yFigure;.8.;is a Vfregrneritary.f seeticm villust-ra 'ng the .mannen-in. whieh.; 1ateral deiiection; o

Side walls-of; thelower ribsincertainepleeewithlr out .contactbetweenadiaeent ribs.

;. The reuishionf; es illustrated; .is' .formedfonr its eidetwth. a, plurality of; .elongated ribs :19

side., .vithf a plurelitvoftransversely. extending he upper, and lower.ehannelscoru-munioate with another, v:thereby insu-ring Ythat :the :pressure wthinrthe. cushion. :will .be-.uniform throughout. as suitableqvaiye ;J2.being :provided Softhet air -10e,;.i;ntro dueed into.. lthe .eushontore withdrawn, fes desired. .As. -.notede..nmy." latent 1&28575; of ;'Oetober .3,I 19.33, such-arie; ,ar-range? meut `has, the advantage-that; the :upper side-.of the-Cushion .will .yield more readily@ from front to. frearr-daseuxninc that the. cushion is employed manner thatthelowerribsextendfrom front to-v rearv and the. :upperribs extendffrom sidente. side), While ftheunder sideiwil yieldmore readily from. ySide to. side, the resi stretching offered by the other side.

.tl1e;;use of the cushion', it may be e.ove1ed an. mountediupon a suitableframe as'vdesoribed ns:-.r,nysprorfpetent, the terminalportons ofzthe depth, fin :i suchcase seatingVr upon the 'supportingY members .offthe frame.

'gReferringfto Figure 2;-t wllbe noted'fsthatA alternate of/ .the ribs I0 are ofr-.substantially greater depth than the.: intermediate ribs, :the ribsof greaterdepthgonly beingintendedto contact `.the supporting structure. The intermediate ribs referred to provide reinforcement in the'same directonasheadjacent. ribs of greaterdepth, although-not to;.the same degreeasthe latter, andzuaord; substantial. support, to: ;the 1top'fsur face;' f.;thecushionv between theV main Weight carryingfribs, preventing 4upward bulging of :the areas where the upper. ribs and thelov/er'iribs do -notcontact one-another.

Preferably the bottom surfaces ofv the'weight:

carryingffribs are archedyas shown'inordergto resist deflection of the cushion centrally 'and also. ltdepreventtthef:under siderof. the icushion .froziil Y @provide air. channels .endxon.:.its upper,

sagging too much in the event that the weight to which the cushion is subjected is excessive. the terminal portions of the ribs at the opposite sides of the arched portions being adapted to provide bearing surfaces for engagement with the supporting members of the frame which is employed, if a frame is employed. It is also preferred that the web connections I3 at the points where the bottoms' of the recesses between the upper ribs intersect the tops of the recesses between the lower ribs be perforated as indicated at I4 so that air may readily pass from the under side of the cushion t the upper side and vice versa.

The manner in which the cushion'responds to weight to which it is subjected is illustrated in Figure 8 wherein the supporting structure for the cushion is sufficiently indicated for the purpose in View by a showing of frame member I5, the covering for the cushion forming no part of the invention and hence being omitted for purposes of clarity.

Any weight to which the cushion is subjected is transmitted through the main load carrying ribs to the frame of the supporting structure. In response to such weight, the area to which the weight is applied is compressed, the walls of the mainweight-carrying ribs bulging laterally as indicated in dotted lines. During compression 0i the cushion in the manner described the ribs intermediate the main weight supporting ribs move downwardly. The depth of the intermediate ribs however is determined with relation to the main ribs so that bulging of the latter and downward movement of the intermediate ribs may occur without conta-ct of the side walls of any of the main weight carrying ribs with the side walls of adjacent weight carrying ribs. The construction described therefore has the advantage that the ribs on the underside of the cushion may be spaced close enough together to support the upper surface in the desired manner without the (possibility Voi the side walls of the ribs contacting one another when the cushion is compressed, it being understood that any such contact between the wallsV of adjacent ribs would materially impair the action of such ribs as it would prevent vtheir in dependent operation and would in eiect result in those areas in the cushion carrying such ribs responding as a single air chamber. Y

A modified form of cushion is shown in Figures 5, 6 andv '7 wherein it'will be noted that the outermost of the lower ribs Illa are of uniform depth throughout their extent while those of the intermediate main weight-carrying ribs are arched as and for .the purpose heretofore described. It will be noted also that inV this embodiment the ends of the lower ribs are connected by loops I6 which form in effect ribs which extend transversely with respect'to the main ribs and placerthe ends or'` the latter in communication with one another.

The ribs which are formed by the loops I6, being*` at the front and back of the cushion, also serve` as added support for localized pressure such as the leg of a person sitting on the seat, it beingappreciated that under such conditions the front Y edge of the cushion may be subjected t0 considerable Weight and that there would be no arching effect of the cushion to support such localized pressure between the arched ribs Ill. In other respects the embodiment shown in Figures 5, 6

and '7 is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the cushion described has the advantage .that the upper surface thereof is supported rmly fil Vthe desired predetermined shape, presenting clear-cut outlined edges and surfaces.

The two embodiments of the invention illustratedare intended as by way of example only as it will be apparent that the features of the inven tion may be employed to advantage in connection with pneumatic cushions wherein the shape of the latter and the shape and arrangement of the ribs may be varied considerably in accordance with the specific purpose for which the cushion may be designed.

I claim as my invention:

l. A pneumatic cushion comprising a plurality of hollow, elongated ribs which are located on the same side of the cushion and which provide air channels, alternate of said ribs being of greater depth than intermediate ribs, the ribs of greater depth providing load-carrying mem bers and having contact areasY for engagement with supporting structure and the ribs of less depth being supported above said supporting structure and serving to reinforce the opposite side of the cushion in those areas between the load-carrying members. Y

2. A pneumatic cushion comprising a plurality of hollow. elongated ribs which are located on the same sideof said cushion and whichprovide air channels, alternate of said ribs having. bearing surfaces at their ends and being of rgreater depth than intermediate ribs.

3. Apneurnatic cushion comprising a' plurality of relatively closely-spaced, hollow, elongated ribs VIl() and which provide air channels alternate of said ribs providing load-carrying members andhaving contact areas for engagement with the supporting structure for the cushion and the `interf mediate ribs reinforcing the opposite Sideof the cushion in theA areas between the load-carrying' members, said alternate ribs being of' greater depth than said intermediate ribs, whereby sub stantial lateral deflection of the side walls 'of'saidf alternate ribs may take place as a result of AWeight upon the cushion without engagement of said walls with said intermediate ribs. 4.

4. A pneumatic cushion having on 'one'iside a plurality of hollow, elongated ribs which are located on the same side of said cushion andv which provide air channels, alternate of .said ribs being arched and at the opposite sidesof said arched portions being of greater depth than intermediate ribs to provide contact areas for engagement with supporting structure, the arched ribs providing load-carrying members and the intermediate ribs serving to reinforce the opposite side of the cushion in those areas between the load-carrying members, and transversely extending ribs on the opposite side of said cushion which also provide air channels.

5. A pneumatic cushion having on one side a plurality Vof hollow, elongated ribs which provide air channels, alternate of said ribs being arched and at the opposite sides of said arched portion being of greater depth than intermediate 5 o1' said ribs, and transversely extending ribs on the opposite side of said cushion.

6. A pneumatic cushion having on one side a plurality of hollow, elongated ribs which provide air channels, alternate of said ribs being arched and at opposite sides of said arched portions beiner of greater depth than intermediate of said ribs, and transversely extending ribs on the opposite side of said cushion which also provide air channels, the ribs on the opposite side of said cushion being separated by common connecting web portions, said web portions being formed with breather openings.

7. A pneumatic cushion comprising a plurality of hollow, elongated ribs which are located on the underside of said cushion and which provide air channels, alternate of said ribs providing load-carrying members having contact areas for engagement with the supporting structure for the cushion and the intermediate ribs reinforcing the upper side of the cushion in the areas between the load-carrying members, said alternate ribs being arched between said contact areas 6 and being of greater depth at said contact areas than said intermediate ribs, whereby substantial lateral deeetion of the side walls of said alternate ribs may occur as a result of weight upon the cushion without engagement of said side walls with said intermediate ribs.

ROBERT W. sAMPsoN.

,i nAarVERENc'as CITED The following references are ofwrecord in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

